I spotted Choco Cinnamon Oatmeal Cookies on Mochocholata-Rita which reminded me of something my mother used to make, and I thought it would be fun to come up with a sugar-free version. After a few attempts I had two similar but slightly different versions of Sugar-Free and Flourless Chocolate and Oatmeal Cluster Cookies and when I tested them on my contractor, he liked both the fudgy and cakey versions. This is a regular Utah guy who's most definitely not on a diet, so when he thought both cookies were good I figured I'd let people decide which one to try.

Photos are the fudgy cookies, but both versions look similar. Technically the cookies made with added agave are not completely sugar-free, but they're still a very low-sugar cookie. If you're not watching your sugar intake, these cookies could be made with sugar and the cookies would be gluten-free if you used gluten-free oatmeal.

Combine wet and dry ingredients with a fork, stirring until all the cocoa powder has blended with the oil and egg, then chill cookies several hours.

Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper and put small balls of batter (probably about 2 teaspoons.) I smashed the cookies down with a fork before I baked them, which is probably necessary because they don't spread out very much.

Combine rolled oats, Splenda or Stevia, cocoa powder and salt in a medium bowl. In separate bowl, whisk together vanilla, olive oil, and egg white. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix together with a fork until the cocoa powder is dissolved and ingredients are well combined. Chill cookie batter several hours.

To bake, preheat oven to 350F/180C. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, then put small balls of batter (about 2 tsp.) spaced apart slightly. Press down with fork to make cookies about 1/2 inch thick. Bake 12 minutes, or until cookies are firm but not hard. They will harden a bit more when they cool.

Cakey Version of Sugar Free and Flourless Chocolate and Oatmeal Cluster Cookies
(Makes about 15 cookies.)

Combine rolled oats, Splenda or Stevia, cocoa powder and salt in a medium bowl. In separate bowl, whisk together olive oil, and eggs and Agave Nectar. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix together with a fork until the cocoa powder is dissolved and ingredients are well combined. Chill cookie batter several hours. (The chilling is especially important for this version.)

To bake, preheat oven to 350F/180C. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, then put small balls of batter (about 2 tsp.) spaced apart slightly. Press down with fork to make cookies about 1/2 inch thick. Bake 12 minutes, or until cookies are firm but not hard. They will harden a bit more when they cool.

South Beach Diet Suggestions:
Two things that caught my eye about these cookies was the use of olive oil, and the fact that the cookies didn't have flour. Both those things make this a great cookie choice for the South Beach Diet. Both these cookies would be phase two or three for South Beach, due to the oatmeal and the Agave Nectar in the cakey version.

Find More Recipes Like This One:

Use the Recipes by Diet Type photo index pages to find more recipes suitable for a specific eating plan.

Nutritional Information?
I chose the South Beach Diet to manage my weight partly so I wouldn't have to count calories, carbs, points, or fat grams, but if you want nutritional information for a recipe, I recommend entering the recipe into Calorie Count, which will calculate it for you.

More Sugar-Free or Low-Sugar Cookies to Try:
(Recipes from other blogs may not always be South Beach Diet friendly; check ingredients.)

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I can't wait to give these a try! I'm ready for a good SB dessert. Thanks so much for all the hardwork you put into your recipes and your blog. I've been using the recipes from your blog since early Nov (I'm on the SB diet) and it really has made a HUGE difference in my ability to stick with the diet. I love all your recipes - delicious AND easy to follow. The weight loss has been great BUT I've also noticed that cutting out the suger and processed food has made a HUGE difference to my skin!!!! I've suffered from acne ever since the teenage years - trying every type of medication with only limited results (even Accutane - 2x). Within a few weeks, my acne started clearing up and my skin actually FEELS better! I am thrilled! My 3 year old son even loves your roasted garbonzo bean recipe :) I know that as I continue with SB Phase 2 and into Phase 3, your recipes will be an important part of my life. Sorry to go on and on, but I've been meaning to comment for awhile now :) THANK YOU!!!!!! And Happy 60th Birthday!!!!

If you replaced the oil with peanut butter these would be what we called "Cow Patty" cookies growing up. I made them with all my classes as a pre-k/Kindergarten teacher because we could make them right in the class room with no oven needed.I'll have to give the peanut butterless version a try! Sound so good.Vikki

OHH, this is a good option for someone who can't have sugar. Hope he likes them.

Maria, I'm sure you're amazed! Merry Christmas to you and Josh!

Vikki, I like the sound of the "Cow Patty" cookies.

Allison, healthy or unhealthy is a matter of opinion when it comes to sugar. I know some people can't use Splenda, but there are also people who truly can't use sugar (due to diabetes or other health issues) or people like me, who notice huge food cravings and mood swings when they eat sugar. For some of us, Splenda truly is more "healthy." Obviously you don't agree, but I believe everyone is entitled to his/her own opinion. And the cakey version only has 1/3 cup Splenda in 15 cookies. That isn't much Splenda. If you come up with a sugar-free version of this cookie that doesn't use Splenda, I'd love to try it.

opus2, it's so funny that you mention acne. I never had bad acne, just an occasional pimple here and there, but since going South Beach, I hardly EVER break out. Also, I have lost 32 pounds in three and a half months on this diet, which is so exciting. No diet has ever worked so well, so fast.

Kalyn, I agree with you about Splenda. There are so many websites out there claiming that Splenda is more or less chlorine, which is absolutely untrue. Not to delve deep into the science, but sucralose (Splenda) is created when three chlorine atoms substitute three hydrogen-oxygen atoms on a sugar molecule. The chemical result is chloride, not chlorine, and chloride naturally appears in the foods we eat and in the water we drink. The great thing about sucralose is that it starts out as sugar chemically speaking, but the body doesn't recognize it as sugar and therefore doesn't metabolize it. You essentially 'pass' the sucralose unchanged. And almost every major study on sucralose has confirmed that sucralose is perfectly safe for human consumption. For people who are diabetic or sensitive to sugar, Splenda is a godsend. Also, it seems silly to speculate about sucralose when every study has shown and every person in the world knows that real sugar is VERY unhealthy and has no nutritional value whatsoever. You don't have to eat Splenda, but don't trick yourself into believing that sugar is a better alternative. :)

Adriana is responding to an earlier comment from someone who took offense at my use of Splenda in this recipe. I hesitated about publishing the original comment, since I'm not sure why someone would think they can come to my blog and tell me what I can and cannot cook, but I did publish it. Then when that person came back to make another comment, which I considered to be argumentative and rude, I decided to delete the first comment and not publish the second one.

I rarely reject or delete comments on Kalyn's Kitchen, but when a commenter comes back with argumentative comments or claims I said things that I didn't say (with a "how dare you say . . ." approach), I choose not to have those types of comments on my blog. This is a post about Christmas cookies, and I don't wish to turn it into a debate about the pros and cons of Splenda or sugar.

And for the sake of preventing any further attempts at arguing, I'm not a diabetic, so any lectures about that topic aren't really called for either.

I'm actually a 16 year old guy who decided to try out this recipe. I don't cook much (this was probably the furthest I've wandered from PB&J land). Somehow I came across this entry, and decided to try out this low glycemic snack.

I made some substitutions (Peanut butter for oil, as another poster suggested :D) and they turned out great! I love how eggs and oatmeal are used (egg=fluffy+protein oatmeal=flavor+crunch!)

I used a small amount (1 T) of honey instead of splenda (not that I'm against it lol) because I think I lost my sweet tooth to the tooth fairy. That, with the oatmeal, cocoa, and eggs makes the perfect pre-workout snack. I down a couple of these before jogging and its great!

Thanks for this great recipe! (I'm definitely going to check out the others soon)

Due to a temporary pregnancy-diabetes thing I've been on insuline and severe 1300 cal.-sugarfree-low-fat-low-carb diet. Your cookies are the first ray of light in 7 weeks. (being pregnant and being hungry makes one mad, I swear). although the diabetes due to hormonal imbalance vanishes within 24 hours after delivery (max 3 weeks from now !) I intend to take some of the sugarfree-wisdom I've come to learn with me, and your recipes are just perfect!

Instead of Splenda I use something that is developed in the country where I live (Belgium) which is called tagatose http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tagatose, which to my opinion has a better aftertaste... I also cut the amount in half (I wasn't sure about how sweet splenda is in comparison to tagatose, and I think I might downsize on the tagatose again next time...

Loved the SF, flourless chocolate and oatmeal cluster cookies BUT not with the olive oil. I used organic canola oil for much better results. Of course, taste is so subjective, so I'm sure there are those who love it with the olive oil.

i think ive made 4 batches of these cookies in the last 2 weeks. i liked them because they are gluten free and i have a massive amount of oats. i am not using fake sugars, so i used half the amount of sugar in the raw instead. i finally figured out i therefore needed to cut the cocoa powder down to 2 TBS. i also make these using half the sugar, and 2 TBS of cinnamon instead of cocoa and i add a quarter cup of raisins for oatmeal raisin cookies. DELICIOUS! i have to stop myself from eating the whole batch myself in like an hour. i think i will try making a gingerbread variation next.

ran accross you blog and just can't wait to try some of the recipies, was reading this one and although it reads gluten free to make it complety gluten free and safe for those of us with celiac disease we need oats that are labeled gluten free (bob's red mill has them) the oats on the grocery store (like quaker) has been processed with the same mills as wheat ans as such those with the medical DX cannot eat these and be safe, but the recipie looks great and I will be using GF oats

Just baked the cakey version of these (swapping some PB for a tbs of the oil, and also adding a 1/4cup of unsweetened coconut) and they were amazing! In another life I would've had more than one, but these were so dense and filling, one was enough :) thanks for the recipe!

I just found this recipe as I am eliminating sugar and flour from my daily consumption. YUM YUM is all I have to say. I made both versions and they are each very delicious. I am going to try the PB in lieu of oil when I whip up another batch. Thank you!!!!

If you don't want to use some of the ingredients I've mentioned here (Splenda, Agave) either make substitutions or just don't make the cookies. But "foodie police" comments aren't really welcome here. I believe everyone gets to make their own food choices.

Yummy! I'm going to try the fudgy one since I don't have the agave nectar on hand. One question though. If I didn't want to use egg whites, should I replace that with 1 whole egg....or 2 whole eggs? Thanks for a great site. You really help me with my low-carb efforts!

Elizabeth, so glad the site is helpful for you. I haven't tested the fudgy version with whole eggs, so I'm not sure what to recommend. (I'm not a good baker, so don't know much about baking substitutions.) I would guess 2 egg whites = 1 egg, but whether it would act the same way in a recipe I have no idea.

Thanks for your speedy reply, Kalyn. I Binged my question and got varying answers. I think I'll try it with 1 whole egg and see what happens. If they don't work right, it's not the end of the world...I'll just go back to your original recipe. Merry Christmas!

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you! I have been off added sugar....as much as I can be living overseas.....for 6 weeks.....and have been looking for a cookie recipe that I can make that isn't dry, tasteless and that both my husband and I like. I have found it in this cookie! I did change things a bit......used butter instead of oil, used 1/3 cup stevia, 1 1/2 Tbs brown sugar, 5 shakes of cinnamon, about 1/4 cup chocolate chips. I will continue to play with the recipe but so far this is the best one! "Expat in China"

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